The Other Half
by AShipperWithNoLife
Summary: Everyone is excited for Alfred when he finds out who his soulmate is. However, he struggles to share their enthusiasm. Involves soulmate AU and RusAme.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: This story contains an age difference, which isn't too bad, but may be questionable to some. Alfred and Ivan are going to be two years apart, with Ivan being the older of the two. However, Alfred is only seventeen, while at the beginning of this story, Ivan will be nearing nineteen. No, they aren't going to do anything inappropriate with each other. After all, this is a T rated fanfiction. But I have heard people in my life complain about age differences of two years, as if they're the most scandalous thing in the world. Considering that one of the people involved in this relationship is still a minor, that makes it worse.**

 **A/N: So, I decided to try my hand at a soulmateAU. Though, this one will be a little different from the soulmate fanfictions you've probably read. You probably often find the ones where two characters, who are destined to be with each other, have the first words their soulmate is going to say to them on their hand or wrist. Though there are many interesting ideas that can come out of that concept, I wanted to do something a tiny bit different. Instead of words, everyone has a special mark somewhere on their forearm that represents both themselves and their partner. Only one other person has the same mark as you would, and that is your soulmate. However, once you find your soulmate, the mark disappears, and most of the time, you start to form a bond with them. Before the mark disappears, though, it will let you know how close your soulmate is by becoming warmer. It is also supposed to give you hints on what your soulmate is like before you meet them. Someone called a matchmaker specializes in reading marks and helping people find their soulmates. They can also host weddings and give relationship advise.**

 **If you reject your soulmate, you will be cursed for the rest of your life, as it will cause the person you were supposed to be with a lot of emotional and physical pain. Most people are happy with their soulmates, though, so they don't do this. Unfortunately, this leads to a lack of support for those who can't quite fall in love with them, as they assume that person is heartless. Even if this is not always the case.**

 **Gosh, sorry for the long author's note! I'm definitely going to try to avoid making them this long in the future.**

* * *

Alfred was seventeen, and he couldn't help but worry if he'd ever find his soulmate. He'd visited the matchmaker multiple times, in order to figure out how to better find the one he was destined to be with, yet there was no such luck. Even when the mark on his arm grew warm since the beginning of summer, signifying his soulmate was near, he still worried he'd never meet his soulmate. What was near to him could mean something entirely different to the mark on his arm. The warmth was faint, so it was possible this meant his to be (or not) partner was twenty or more miles away, and his mark was overreacting to the supposed 'proximity'. It wasn't uncommon for these marks to grow warm when one's soulmate was at an unreasonably far distance.

Sure, one could say he still had decades to find his partner. However, this would be assuming he didn't have a time limit in which he'd meet the love of his life. The problem was, he'd been informed by the matchmaker in his town he was destined to meet his soulmate during his teen years. He only had three years until it was too late. Unless the matchmaker was wrong, but it was rare for them to be wrong. It was more probable for his soulmate to die before he was supposed to meet him, instead of the matchmaker being wrong about when they were to meet. He dreaded the idea of the one he was destined to be with dying before he ever had the chance to meet him. Which was why he would always give the mark on his arm constant attention. Any time the warmth grew too faint for his liking, he panicked.

Another cause of concern for Alfred was the fact that, since he would end up being cursed if he rejected his soulmate, what could he do if he ended up hating the one he was destined to be with? Sure, most people were happy with their soulmates, but there was still the possibility of ending up with the wrong person. Happy endings didn't happen for everyone. His future partner could be abusive, and he would have no way of leaving him without being cursed. Not that he already wouldn't be cursed if his soulmate turned out to be a terrible person.

To make matters worse, based on what the matchmaker was able to tell him from reading the mark on his arm about his soulmate, wasn't appealing to him. According to the mark on his arm, the one he was destined to be with was a tall male, native to a cold country. He was going to meet his future partner in the town he currently lived in, as they were going to be an immigrant to his native country. The problems with this description was that he had never been attracted to another male before and he wasn't a fan of accents (he assumed there was a high chance this person would have an accent).

He was willing to give his soulmate a break about having an accent, as for one, it wasn't something one could overcome in a day, and two, it would be shallow for him to not care for someone based on the way they spoke. Besides, it wasn't as if he loathed people who happened to speak differently from him. It simply wasn't attractive to him.

It was the fact that Alfred's soulmate was a male was what caused him the most concern. He wasn't against same sex relationships, but he wasn't sure if he was the right person for them. He'd only ever been attracted to a couple girls throughout his life (though, these attractions were nothing more than a small crush, as he understood he couldn't be with these girls). Even when he tried to be attracted to another member of his gender, nothing happened. Perhaps his soulmate would be an exception, or maybe he was a bisexual, and wasn't aware of it, since he was rarely ever attracted to anyone? He hated how his destiny caused him to question his sexuality. His life would be easier if he was certain he was going to be attracted to his soulmate.

As if his current situation wasn't stressful enough, his mother refused to cease in her pestering about his soulmate. She was excited to find out who this person was and sometimes would go on a tangent about how he should try harder in finding them. She would often give Alfred advice on how he could find the love of his life. "Find out if there are any foreign exchange students." she often said, "Does your mark become warmer when to go to certain parts of this town? Hang around those areas if it does.", "Maybe you could try hanging out on the college campus. There are a lot of people from other countries there who are around your age." Why she was so excited about his soulmate, Alfred had no clue. Maybe she loved the idea of her son growing up and marrying someone?

In fact, it was all thanks to his obsessive mother he was now hanging around in the library at the local university. Sitting around in a library for a couple hours with nothing to do but to play on his phone was not how he intended to spend his Friday evening. However, he was becoming annoyed and worried, due to his mother's rants about how he needed to find his soulmate soon, or else he was going to be lonely for the rest of his life. Besides, he was aware of the fact that he was going to have to explore the college campus at some point, anyway. After all, his mother wasn't wrong about it being a potential place to find his soulmate.

His mark agreed with her as well. In fact, ever since he entered the library, it's warmth had grown intense. More than it ever had in the past and it was making him an irritated, sweaty mess. It wasn't as if he was ignoring what his mark wanted from him. He'd searched the room for anyone who fit his soulmate's description, and had come across a potential candidate. However, upon catching sight of this guy, he hadn't experienced that warm and fuzzy feeling in his stomach people claimed they had when they first caught sight of their soulmate. Either there was something wrong with him, or this person wasn't his soulmate. He hoped it was his second assumption.

Alfred sighed, and figured it would be best for him to leave the library and search other areas of the college campus in order to find his soulmate. He wanted the warm sensation on his arm to go away, as it was driving him crazy! However, as soon as he stepped a few feet toward the entrance of the library, the heat on his arm intensified; causing him to flinch and hold his right arm. He didn't want to move, as he feared this would make the burning sensation worse. Did this mean the person near by, who he believed could be a potential candidate, was his soulmate? Should he wander toward him, in order to find out? A part of him urged him to do so, but at the same time, he was afraid to make the burning sensation on his arm worse.

The person sitting near Alfred also flinched when he came nearer to him. Sure, he'd been aware of his mark becoming warm to an irritating extent, but he hadn't paid it much mind, as he figured it was another false alarm. It wasn't uncommon for these marks to make errors, and his had the tendency to fool him once in a while. He had glanced around the room earlier, in order to find someone who fit the description of his soulmate. However, he had no such luck, or had he somehow managed to miss them? It wouldn't had been the first silly mistake he made that day. He was exhausted.

He turned his head to study the room once more and was shocked to find someone who fit his soulmate's description standing near by. He had a hand placed on his arm, as if he was in pain, which caused him to have sympathy for the poor stranger. Was this because the other was, in fact, his soulmate, or was there something wrong? It wasn't uncommon for someone's mark to hurt when the one they were destined to be with was nearby. Either way, he wanted to check to make sure everything was okay, so he stood from his seat and strode over to the stranger.

When he was next to the stranger, he placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"

Upon being touched, the heat on Alfred's arm intensified, causing him to gasp in pain. He was relieved when a moment later, the pain vanished, and he was left dumbfounded. He glanced at the area where his mark had been causing him pain and his eyes widened in shock when he found it was gone. He couldn't help but stare at his arm for a few moments, but it wasn't long until he became aware of where he was and who he was standing next to. He figured it would be best to compose himself, so he turned toward the stranger who was now officially his soulmate, and replied to the question in a calm voice, "I'm fine. I just..."

Alfred lost his trail of thought when he made eye contact with the stranger. The other was gazing at him, and appeared to be in a trance. As if he caught sight of the most beautiful person in his life. He became even more interested upon making eye contact with him. Though Alfred couldn't help but be confused by the situation. Shouldn't he be even more interested than the other was with him, or at least happy? This stranger was unique, to say the least. He had purple eyes that could put any gem to shame. His hair was fair to an unusual extent, yet on him, it was easy to consider it natural (and it probably was). His touch was gentle, despite how large he was. He should've had a warmth in his stomach, but instead, there was emptiness.

The stranger gave him a smile and said, "Hello. What's your name?"

Alfred figured it would be best to at least try and act enthusiastic himself. He was going to be with this person for the rest of his life, so he might as well be pleasant company for him. Besides, what if he only needed more time to grow attached to this person? It wouldn't hurt to form a bond with the other by being friendly himself. He might learn to love him. He answered his soulmate's question, "Alfred."

"It's nice to meet you, Alfred," the stranger replied, "My name's Ivan."

"It's nice to meet you too."

Alfred stood there awkwardly, unable to come up with a way he could continue the conversation. Though, he was relieved to find that Ivan was having the same difficulty as well. Yet, it didn't take too long for his soulmate to ask another question, "Do you go here? I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

"No, I'm actually a high school student."

"A high school student?" discomfort at this statement was obvious in Ivan's voice, "You aren't under the age of sixteen, at least, are you?"

"I just turned seventeen two months ago."

"Well, I guess that isn't too bad," Ivan replied, though there was still uncertainty lingering in his demeanor, "I'm only about one and a half years older than you."

There was another awkward silence, until Ivan asked yet another question, "Are you taking classes here as well as going to high school? If so, you must be very smart for your age."

"I wish I was that smart," laughter was obvious in Alfred's response, "No, I'm not anything special. I'm only taking one AP class this year. As well as one other challenging class my father forced me to take. I wanted to make my senior year as easy as possible."

"One AP class is still good. At least it means your challenging yourself a little. Do you like the AP class you're taking?"

"It's okay, I guess."

Alfred glanced at the clock, and was shocked to find it was already ten minutes after five. He swore he checked it not too long ago and believed it was only fifteen minutes after four. He wasn't the best when it came to keeping track of time. His mother would be at the college campus to pick him up any minute now. He returned his gaze to Ivan and explained, "Look, it's nice to talk to you, but I have to go now."

Disappointment decorated Ivan's features, but he wasn't pushy, "Well, do you think you could stay a minute longer, so that we can exchange phone numbers?"

"Sure."

Ivan was delighted by this response and retrieved his phone from his pocket with new vigor. After the two exchanged phone numbers, Alfred left, while his soulmate called after him, "I'll be sure to talk to you soon."

"Bye," was all Alfred said as he walked out of the library.

He couldn't help but be disappointed, to say the least. He hadn't had a spark of excitement all throughout the short conversation between him and the love of his life. Sure, it was his first encounter with his soulmate, which didn't mean he was obligated to fall in love with Ivan within seconds, but this still didn't reassure him. His soulmate was delighted to meet him, and though he didn't believe the other was even attracted to him yet, it was still obvious he was interested in forming a relationship with him. The fact that he himself wasn't interested in Ivan made him embarrassed. Was he being too hard on himself? Did he only need more time to bond with his soulmate before he could be interested in him?

Alfred wandered to the nearest parking lot on the college campus, to find his mother's care parked in one of the spaces. Upon catching sight of the car, he quickened the pace at which he walked. He entered the car, and as soon as the door was closed, he was attacked with a question, "So, did you find your soulmate?"

"Yes," Alfred said in response, causing even more chatter from his mom, "See, what did I tell you? I knew you'd find him there!"

Alfred remained silent as his mother continued with a raid of questions, "So, what was his name? How old is he? Do you know what country he's from?"

"He said his name was Ivan, though I don't know his last name yet," Alfred tried his best to be patient with his mom, despite not wanting to talk about the topic, "I'm guessing he's going to be nineteen soon, and it's hard to tell what country he's from based on the way he speaks. His English is almost perfect, though it kind of sounds like he's from Russia."

"Wow, interesting," his mother remarked, "You should invite him over some time. I want to see what he's like! Maybe you two can get to know each other better this way."

"Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea."

Alfred turned his gaze toward the window as his mother pulled out of the parking lot. He contemplated everything about his meeting with his soulmate, _I hope I can become more interested in my soulmate later on. I'm going to be miserable for the rest of my life if I can't desire to be his friend at the very least. I guess first encounters with soulmates aren't always the best, though. It's hard not to be awkward about it._

A spark of hope flowed throughout Alfred's body as he concluded, _Perhaps the second time we meet, I'll be a little more enthusiastic. There's no way I could be the only one who wasn't interested in their soulmate at first sight! It would be ridiculous if everyone immediately fell in love with them the moment they met them! No, there's nothing wrong with me. I'm sure things will work out._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm sorry for all the italics in this chapter! As well as the proper spelling and grammar while Ivan and Alfred text (okay, some people might actually appreciate that last part; I personally don't like text message language).**

* * *

Instead of being discouraged when Ivan didn't respond to his texts the day he met him, Alfred was relieved by the lack of attention. He hadn't been in the mood for conversing that day and was unable to come up with much to talk about in the first place with his soulmate. Besides, he figured the one he was destined to be with was busy. After all, he was a college student, and he'd been told time and time again college was more difficult than high school. Despite their awkward first impressions, Ivan appeared to be an intelligent individual. Perhaps it would be silly for Alfred to form such a conclusion when they'd only conversed for a few minutes, but there was something about the other's demeanor, which caused him to believe this must be the case. Even if he was wrong, though, it was obvious his soulmate wasn't clueless. It wasn't impossible he was taking difficult courses in a complicated field, which was why he believed he was so busy.

Upon awakening the next morning, Alfred was too listless and hungry to care to check if his soulmate responded to his texts, and instead, made way to the kitchen. He was delighted to find his mom cooking omelets. He hated preparing food for himself in the morning (even though most of the time, it only required a few minutes of his precious time). What made this better for him was the fact that his mother had finished making a couple omelets, and since he was the only one in the kitchen, aside from his mother, he would be able to take one of the omelets without having to wait.

While Alfred stuffed his face with the delicious omelet, his mother asked, "Good morning, Alfred. Did you talk to your soulmate yet?"

"I sent him a text yesterday saying you wanted him to come over some time," Alfred replied, after swallowing his food, "he didn't reply to it yesterday, but I haven't checked yet to see if he did this morning."

"Well, if he does reply, tell him that if he isn't busy with anything, he can come over today. You can even tell him he's welcome to spend the night here, if that's what both of you want. But he has to sleep in a separate room from you."

"Alright," was all Alfred said, as he proceeded to gobble down the omelet.

After finishing his breakfast, he set off to his room to check his phone. Though he hadn't yet formed a bond with his soulmate, he still couldn't help the spark of excitement when he found a recent text from him. This reaction wasn't shocking to him, though, as his phone had trained him to be excited whenever he received a text. The text read, _I can come over whenever you want me to._

Alfred replied, _My mom said you can come over today. Even stay the night, if you want to._

 _That sounds great! What time do you want me to be there?_

 _How about you come at four in the evening. Everyone will need a little time to prepare for your visit, and that's around the time dinner will be ready._

 _Okay. By the way, could you tell me what your family is like?_

 _I'd say overall, they're decent people. Both my mom and dad live together and get along quite well with each other, and I have a brother who couldn't be annoying if he tried, so I consider myself pretty lucky. My mom is very nice and my brother definitely takes after her both physically and personality wise. Except, my brother his more quiet and shy than she is. However, me and my dad don't get along too well. It's nothing major, he can just be judgmental sometimes._

 _I'm sorry to hear your father's like that, even if you don't think it's a big deal._

 _Thanks for your consideration, but again, it's really not that big of a deal. Most of the time, it's just a little annoying. Especially since I'm the only one he'll do this to (not that I want him to do this to anyone else)._

There was a long pause after Alfred finished venting about his father, until Ivan finally texted, _I know this is off topic, and I don't mean to sound so selfish, but do you think your family will like me?_

 _I'm sure they'll accept you without any problems. You seem nice so far, and I have a feeling your an intelligent individual. You'll be fine. Besides, your my soulmate and you come from a different country. Those two things are a bonus. My family likes variety and they also consider soulmates a big deal, as many people do. By the way, are you from Russia?_

 _Yes, I am. Either you're very observant, or I'm terrible at speaking English._

 _Oh no, you're English is almost perfect! You just have a little bit of an accent, and there's nothing wrong with that! Besides, your name kind of made me think you were Russian. Especially because of how you pronounce it. It's going to be a while until I get used to pronouncing it that way, especially with how it's spelled!_

The two continued to converse for the next half hour, until Alfred figured it was time for him to prepare for his soulmate's arrival. He showered and tried his best to appear as presentable as possible. Though he didn't wear anything formal.

It hadn't taken him long at all to prepare. When there was only an hour left, he waited in the living room for his soulmate to arrive. His mother told him it would be best if he was the one to greet him at the front door. Besides, while he waited, he could watch TV or play a video game. He didn't mind spending most of his time in the living room. The only time it became crowded was during family movie night (which he didn't mind attending most of the time, not that it was optional). His parents weren't pleasant to have around while he was playing video games. Their commentaries of the video games were painful to listen to. It was as if they were trying to be as cringe worthy as possible and make him not want to play for a while. It worked, when the two wanted the TV to themselves.

Though he didn't mind having his brother watch him play. Matthew found it entertaining and he was silent for the majority of the time. At least when he spoke, it was always something worth saying. Sometimes, he could be a bit of a comedian.

Alfred smiled at the idea of his soulmate enjoying video games as much as he did. Though he didn't have any romantic feelings for him, he still wouldn't mind having him as a friend. He wished he had someone he who was able to challenge him in his video games, as everyone he ever met in person couldn't compete with him. However, it was fine if Ivan didn't end up being a fan of them. As long as he was willing to tolerate his hobby.

When there was a knock at the door, Alfred forgot about everything he was doing and opened it. He was greeted by his soulmate, "Hello, Alfred."

"Hello," was all Alfred said in response, as he made room for Ivan to enter. The other studied the living room and remarked, "This is a nice place you have."

"Thanks, though I don't do much to keep it nice, nor do I own this place."

It didn't take long for Ivan to catch the aroma of food from the kitchen. The scent caused him to form an observation, "I'm guessing dinner will be ready soon? It smells nice!"

"Yes, fortunately it will be ready soon. I'm sure you'll like it. My mom is an amazing cook."

There was a moment of silence before Alfred changed the topic, "Why don't I give you a tour of the place while we wait?"

With that said, Ivan followed Alfred as he was shown where all the rooms were. A spark of excitement developed in his gut upon exploring this new place. It was much larger than his apartment, and his soulmate's parents definitely had taste! There was not a single decoration, carpet, wall, or design he even have the heart to put off as gaudy (though, he wasn't judgmental). The guest's room he would be staying in was also pleasant. Though it wasn't as decorative as the rest of the house, it wasn't plain either. In fact, it was welcoming.

When Alfred was finished giving Ivan a tour of the house, the two set off for the kitchen. They entered the room, to find the table being set up. It didn't take long for Alfred's mother to catch sight of the two as they entered through the door way, and when she did catch sight of them, she strode over to Ivan with a bounce in her step and greeted, "Hello, Ivan. I hope you like it here. My name's Jennifer."

"It's nice to meet you, Jennifer." Ivan replied, as Alfred's mother shook his hand. She continued after the greeting, "Why don't you two go take a seat at the table? Dinner will be ready very soon."

The two sat down at the table; Ivan occupying the seat right next to his soulmate. Alfred tried his best not to pay this much mind. It dawned on him that he wasn't going to have much time to himself while his soulmate was around. Sure, he wouldn't mind this as much if he was bonded with his partner for life, but since they were strangers only one day ago, the idea of being around him for most of the night was strange.

Alfred was less anxious about the situation at hand when dinner was ready to eat. Though meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn weren't his favorite meal, it was still delicious enough to distract him from the awkwardness. Besides, it wasn't as if he had anything to worry about at the moment. He wasn't going to be the one attacked by questions, as he wasn't a stranger to the family.

"So, Ivan," Alfred's mother said, "Alfred told me you were from Russia. What made you decide to come to America?"

"I heard there are more opportunities here," Ivan answered, "besides, my I had a feeling Alfred would be here as well."

"Did your family come here with you?"

There was a moment of silence and the tension made Alfred's mom regret asking the question (despite not having done anything wrong). Ivan kept his emotion under control, though, as he stated, "They're all dead."

"I'm sorry..."

Even if Alfred hadn't dealt with anything similar, he still had sympathy for his soulmate. Sure, there were many times his parents acted obnoxious for no reason, but he still cared about them. Besides, his brother was pleasant to have around, and compared to how often his peers complained about their own siblings, he considered himself lucky to have him for a brother. Perhaps he could be boring at times, do to how quiet he was, but at least he had times when he could be fun to be around. Unlike other brothers, he was also supportive, open-minded toward his interests, and never judged him. He would be lost if everyone in his family dropped dead one day.

When everyone was finished with dinner, they all went to the living room, as it was family movie night. If Ivan wasn't a fan of movies, he had the option to not watch one with the family, as he was an adult and not under the rule of anyone in the house. However, he was going to have a harder time entertaining himself throughout a span of two hours. There wasn't much to do in the house in other places than the living room. He didn't want to search through the families belongings either, as doing so would be rude. He figured it would be best for him to hang out with the family during this time, as even if he wasn't a fan of the movie, it was still something to occupy his mind for the next couple hours. Besides, he was sure this would be a way he could improve his bond with his soulmate.

Before a movie was selected, Alfred's mother suggested, "Alfred, why don't you and Ivan sit on the couch facing straight toward the TV? He's the guest, so we should let him have the best view of the movie."

Alfred wasn't opposed to this idea at all. Not only would he not have to sit near his father (as he complained too much), but he would have the best view of the TV as well as his soulmate. Besides, there would be more room on the couch if there were two people on it compared to three.

Alfred wrapped a blanket, which had been lying on the couch, around himself. He wanted to stay warm, as the air conditioner in the room made it drafty. However, half way through the movie, he still found himself shivering from the cold air. He was envious his soulmate wasn't reacting to the cold air in the same way, but at the same time, he was also relieved, as it would lead to them fighting over the blanket if he was cold too.

Ivan wasn't oblivious to his soulmate's shivering, and pulled him into a one arm hug to warm him up. Alfred was shocked by this reaction and protested, in a quiet voice, against the affection, "Ivan, I don't want to cuddle. We just met yesterday."

Ivan responded in a whisper, "Don't you want to be warm? Not only is cuddling a great way to warm up, but it's also good for building a bond between soulmates. Besides, the others aren't paying us any attention. I doubt that they'd care either."

"I don't feel comfortable with this."

"Alright," Ivan released Alfred from his one arm embrace, "If it makes you uncomfortable, I won't do this to you. But you're always welcome to cuddle with me if you change your mind."

Alfred was relieved by this statement. At least Ivan understood boundaries. He wasn't sure if things would always be this way in their relationship, though, as there was no way to tell how it would turn out based on the first two days of it. Sometimes, he worried about whether or not it would go down hill one day, yet at the same time, he tried not to let it bother him. It wasn't common for soulmates to be abusive. Same with marks being wrong and soulmates dying before they met the love of their life, it was as rare as being struck by lightning. Though it was scary to imagine being one of those unfortunate individuals, it wouldn't be a rational fear to have. He was sure if Ivan continued to respect him, there wouldn't be any issues. He hoped if the other turned abusive, he would be able to stand up for himself and prevent himself from being hurt.

More importantly, he hoped he would one day fall in love with him. This was something he should worry about, as based on his past experiences with attraction, it wasn't likely.


End file.
